Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
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By Blue Haze Wed Mar 03, 2004 2:04 pm
I like to ask everyone to give any suggestions on making great basslines and bass tones on the MPC. I`m mainly using sample based production style. Send all the tips, suggestions, and advice beside having a great bassist in your home studio. I wish I knew someone like E bass, but can you help a beginner out one time ya????

Thanks


Blue Haze
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By Mohammed Wed Mar 03, 2004 5:26 pm
Look out for sample cd's with bass sounds and just play them. I dont know any titles but im sure youll be fine
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By dudum Thu Mar 04, 2004 6:13 pm
i run any bass (especially digital source) through a Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp to warm things up and give it drive.

if you're looking for tone shaping devices i'd also recommend the Behringer BVamp Pro. For the money it's a nice bit of kit that let's you twidle with Bass effects and Amp Sim for Keyboard and Guitar as well.
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By Blue Haze Fri Mar 05, 2004 4:55 am
Thanks for the information, however I my main focus is that want to sample my own sounds and by using the filters make my own bass sounds. Also, I want to be able to sample my favorite basslines from other sources. Any other methods?

Blue Hazw
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By dudum Fri Mar 05, 2004 2:13 pm
hmmm...well, as far as sampling is concerned i mainly stick to synth generated sources. i like creating my own stuff and don't have a lot of sample discs and what not.

i guess i could say that i usually like to stack a few waves together, usually a sine and triangle. i find it better to adjust the cutoff before i tamper with the attack ratio. i try to extend the wave out with a short release ratio and give it a little flanger or compression.

from this generated wave form i sample in at 24-bit and create my tone somewhere in the middle of the wave and include the release of the note. you can then filter and adjust the attack to your liking and spread it out on the keyboard.

i guess the biggest thing out of it is that i never include the original attack and i find the sample glides much smoother between notes when breaking it out into octaves.

what sound source are you sampling from?
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By Blue Haze Fri Mar 05, 2004 2:25 pm
First thank you for the tip. Do you sample from the keyboard or play the keys into the sequence. I don`t know much yet on programming a keyboard. Mostly I sample mainly from LPs and Used Cds I picked up at the flea markets, I then use Recycle to chop up the sounds. I sometimes use a loop and I was wondering on a great technique to filter out the bass or how to take a sampled note and change it into a bass tone? i

Blue Haze

:o
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By dudum Fri Mar 05, 2004 5:58 pm
if you're using software at some point in this whole mix than you have tons of options for producing bass tones.

my suggestion : get a copy of FutureMusic if you haven't already and study the free samples they give you. there are lots of resources for plug-in's and the like, wish i could point you to a good free 303 clone (i know they're out there).

not much on the software side yet, just running Plasma and CeQuadrat for wave editing so i can't really help you out there.

if you're working from a single note however, you can layer the sound with each voice stacked a few milliseconds away so you create a chorus effect. like lacasanostrarecords said, it can get muddy pretty quick if anything is off.
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By Blue Haze Fri Mar 05, 2004 7:01 pm
For a while I have been trying a Pete Rock like sound by using the Band Pass filter and eqing the bass with some compression. I will try the other suggestions you mentioned and let you know how is works out. Peace!!!

Blue Haze